Roper River
The mighty Roper is the Territory’s second largest river
The Roper River’s headwaters extend northwards right up into Arnhem Land and south into the drier expanse of the Beetaloo Basin.
In the dry season, the Mataranka hot springs are fed by vast underground aquifers which spill over into the Roper and keep the river flowing. This continuous supply of life giving freshwater nourishes an array of wildlife in the Roper Valley as the river winds its way to the east before entering the Gulf of Carpentaria at Limmen Bight.
The Roper is the most important Territory river for commercial fishing as it helps to feed Australia’s most valuable prawn fishery and accounts for much of the banana prawns available in our supermarkets.
The Roper is rich in cultural history and today the majority of surrounding lands are held in Aboriginal land trusts and the coast is protected in the Limmen Marine Park and Limmen National Park.
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